The Kula (yellow) helps bring the two capsized canoers onboard while their second boat, the Cascadia, arrives on scene on stand-by in case more assistance was needed. (submitted photo/Brooke Nowak)

By Jordan Davidson

close call

‘Life jackets saved their lives:’ Nanaimo father-son plucked from chilly waters by whale watchers

Apr 18, 2022 | 4:36 PM

NANAIMO — A local man and his teenage son are thankful for a group of whale watchers who scooped them out of the chilly ocean over the Easter weekend.

The man and his son were out in a canoe around noon on Saturday, April 16 near Dodd’s Narrows, between Mudge Island and Vancouver Island by Cable Bay Trail when they ran into some rough water and capsized.

Rodrigo Menezes, captain of the Vancouver Island Whale Watch vessel Kula, told NanaimoNewsNOW they were about 15 minutes into their excursion when he noticed the canoe was having a tough time crossing the strong currents.

“I stopped the boat to wait for them to get to Mudge Island since it was clear to me that it wouldn’t be an easy cross. I was actually a little bit surprised to see a canoe at that point,.”

With the boat looking on, the canoe flipped around 50 metres from the Mudge Island shoreline and the two waved at the boat for help.

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Menezes said he noticed both people in the water were wearing life jackets and weren’t in immediate danger. The first attempt to throw them a rescue line failed, as the father was trying to hold onto the canoe and stay calm while bobbing in the water.

The pair of canoers were in the water for less than ten minutes before being rescued. (submitted photo/Brooke Nowak)

A second attempt was successful and involved getting the whale watching boat as close as possible, cutting the engine, and letting the current drift the pair towards the boat until crew were able to throw them the life ring again and bring the two and their canoe on board.

“They were scared and cold, and it’s always hard for people to think properly in this kind of situation, so I tried to calm them down while I was assessing their situation to see if they were hurt,” Menezes said.

Neither man needed medical attention and the two were taken to a safer part of the water near the Cedar boat ramp. Menezes and his crew helped get them back into the canoe and watched on as the father and son paddled back to shore and their awaiting car.

The father, in his 40’s and who asked not to be identified, said he has plenty of experience canoeing in local waters and was trying to avoid getting too close to the strong rapids of Dodd’s Narrows.

He said the rapids got “a little bouncy” and they went in.

“I obviously made a mistake on that count,” the man told NanaimoNewsNOW. “We were going in the direction of them but we didn’t want to get too close. The part where we were going looked ok, but obviously we were wrong. I was trying to keep a cool head and tell my boy to keep cool.”

The father said he’s incredibly grateful for everyone involved in their rescue efforts.

Passengers on board were quick to help, offering them warm clothes and even providing the father with a warm mug of tea.

“They helped me take my life jacket off because my hands were too cold and gave me some tea. I don’t even like tea but that was the best tea I ever had.”

The pair were caught in rough waters between Vancouver Island and Mudge Island over the Easter long weekend. (submitted photo/Brooke Nowak)

They’ve vowed to stay away from the water for a little while to process their ordeal.

The father said once he and his son made it to their vehicle and were greeted by his wife with some warm clothes, the adrenaline died down and the emotions started to hit him.

“So grateful to be ok, and grateful for the boat, and grateful for the captain there and the other passengers on the boat for helping out.”

This was the first time in Menezes’ five years with Vancouver Island Whale Watch he’s assisted in the rescue of a person.

“It’s a good reminder for people to always be cautious out there cause things can go wrong really quickly on this water. Luckily they were wearing life jackets. It wasn’t me, but the life jackets saved their lives.”

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow